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One fateful day in June 1987, workers under the direction of archeologist Ehud Netzer were clearing away debris of a massive stone structure adjacent to the ancient citadel of Tzipori. As the dust of over 1,600 years was painstakingly swept away, an awed silence fell over the crowd that had gathered around the pit.

Gazing up at the onlookers was the face of a strikingly beautiful woman set in a mosaic floor.

The discovery of this ancient work of art, today known as the "Mona Lisa of Galilee," has sparked a process that will transform a small Lower Galilee settlement established on the ruins of ancient Tzipori into the largest national park in northern Israel.

Since uncovering the "Mona Lisa," this ancient town, located northwest of Nazareth, is hastily being brought back to life. The crumbling ramparts and massive stone citadel of Tzipori are being refortified in anticipation of the multitudes that will soon be laying siege to its gates.

An infrastructure is being built to receive an estimated 300,000 annual visitors — a number that will eclipse every national park in the country except Masada and Caesarea.

The National Parks Authority, Ministry of Tourism, Galilee Foundation and several other public and private bodies are midwifing the rebirth of ancient Tzipori.

Historians believe Tzipori is second only to Jerusalem in its importance to Jewish history in the Land of Israel.

One of the main movers in returning Tzipori to its former glory is Benyamin "Bini" Shalev, 38, an ex-New Yorker who lives in Hoshaya, a modern Orthodox community established in 1983 on the hillside facing Tzipori. Shalev is director of the Tzipori Project and heads the Galilee Foundation, established in 1991 to channel private funds into development of the Galilee region surrounding Tzipori. It has already contributed over $2 million for construction of Tzipori National Park.

Shalev was also responsible for convincing donors Ludwig and Erica Jesselson to contribute funds to restore the ancient Roman villa that today houses the "Mona Lisa" mosaic, which was on exhibit for two years at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. "Without the villa," says Shalev, "we never would have been able to return the restored mosaic from the museum."

The other force behind the renaissance of Tzipori is archeologist Ehud Netzer, who has been digging there since 1983. Netzer, 60, a doyen of local archeology, has a resume that includes excavations at Masada and Herodion.

According to Netzer, the excavations in Tzipori have only just begun: "It will take us another 20 years of digging to uncover most of what Tzipori has to teach us."

He also points out that while the site is being marketed as the "city of mosaics," archaeologists and historians are more interested in another aspect of Tzipori's past. "We know that synagogues existed in Israel contemporary to the Temple at places like Masada and Herodion. We have also found numerous synagogues dating from the third century onward. But there remains a gap of about 150 years that we have no information about. I'm hoping that Tzipori will provide the answers."

The only synagogue that archaeologists have completely uncovered so far is currently closed to the public while its elaborate mosaic floor is being restored. The mosaic, unique in its details of biblical stories and Temple rituals, dates from the sixth century and contains a zodiac calendar similar to the one found in the ancient synagogue of Beit Alfa. Once restored, it will be returned to its original site in Tzipori.

Meanwhile, Shalev is considering various ideas that he hopes will draw people to the site and make it part of every tourist's itinerary in Israel.

One attraction already operating is an ancient arts workshop. Besides being able to see the ancient mosaics of Tzipori — so far more than 40 have been uncovered — visitors can learn the art of mosaic-making by creating something to take home. They can also visit facilities for minting replicas of ancient coins.

Final preparations are underway to unearth Tzipori's massive Roman water system so visitors can follow the ancient aqueducts that brought spring water from nearby Mount Jonah.

Another innovation is the temporary conversion of Tzipori's ancient streets into a theater of living history. According to project director Joyce Klein, a 45-year-old new immigrant from Seattle.

For four days during Hol Hamoed (the intermediate days of Pesach), the streets of Tzipori will come to life with Jews, Romans and a marketplace that Klein promises "will offer only authentic goods."

Events mentioned in the Talmud and Mishna will be re-enacted and the crowds will be urged to participate.

Klein and Shalev are hoping to turn the living theater into a permanent feature of Tzipori.

"Tzipori can serve as a dramatic enhancement to our ideas of what ancient Jewish life was like," says Klein.